Complete List of the Best Museums in Shiraz
Plan Your Visit to Shiraz's Finest Cultural Hubs
Shiraz, a city with a rich history spanning thousands of years, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iran. The numerous museums in Shiraz showcase the city’s ancient heritage, serving as symbols of Iranian history, culture, and civilization. In this article by SURFIRAN, we provide a detailed list of Shiraz’s museums along with their descriptions. Continue reading to explore these cultural treasures.
Contents
Persepolis Museum
Persepolis is one of the most famous museums in Shiraz. The building is located within the 2,500-year-old Persepolis complex in the Marvdasht region. The construction was ordered by Xerxes I and completed during the reign of Artaxerxes I. Formerly known as the Queen’s Palace, it is now recognized as the oldest restored building in the country. The Persepolis Museum features a large hall, two galleries, and a veranda. Visitors can admire stone and metal statues, Elamite clay tablets, inscriptions from Xerxes’ harem, gold and silver jewelry, ancient musical instruments, pottery, metal sculptures, stone pillars, spears, and more.
- Address: 10 kilometers north of Marvdasht
- Operating Hours: Spring and Summer: 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM, Fall and Winter: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Pars Museum
The Pars Museum is another captivating destination in Shiraz. The building, dating back to the Zand dynasty, also houses the tomb of Karim Khan Zand in its western royal section. Located in the Nazar Garden of Shiraz, this museum has been operational since 1936. It contains invaluable artifacts from various historical periods, including paintings by Lotf Ali Khan Suratgar, Karim Khan Zand’s sword, a collection of precious handwritten Qurans, decorative enamel works, inscriptions, and bronze items from Lorestan.
- Address: Municipality Square, opposite Karim Khan Citadel
- Operating Hours: 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Afif-Abad Military Museum
As the name suggests, the Afif-Abad Military Museum is located in the Afif-Abad Garden and showcases an extensive collection of weapons and military equipment. The two-story building has an arms museum on the first floor and a historical museum on the second.
IRAN GROUP TOURS
Join our Iran tours, connecting you with like-minded travelers and streamlining the organization process.
Iran 7-Day Tour
€960 | Early Bird €860
Iran 9-Day Tour
€1,100 | Early Bird €860
Iran 15-Day Tour
€1,690 | Early Bird €1,520
Visitors can view various cold and firearms, hunting rifles, muzzleloaders, pistols, machine guns, automatic and semi-automatic weapons, swords, armor, spears, helmets, shields, and more, from the Safavid era to the present day. Noteworthy items include personal rifles belonging to Fath-Ali Shah, Naser al-Din Shah, Mozaffar ad-Din Shah, Reza Shah, and Mohammad Reza Shah.
- Address: South of Qasr-e Dasht Street, end of Afif-Abad Street
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Vakil Bathhouse Museum
The Vakil Bathhouse Museum was built by Karim Khan during the Zand dynasty and is considered a masterpiece of Iranian architecture. The museum houses 30 wax statues that depict the bathing customs, culture, and attire of the people from that era, making it a popular attraction for tourists.
- Address: Lotf Ali Khan Zand Street, Taleghani Street
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Narenjestan Ghavam Museum
The Narenjestan Ghavam Museum is a large mansion with stunning architecture, making it a major tourist attraction in Shiraz. The building dates back to the Qajar era and was constructed by Mohammad Ali Khan and Mohammad Reza Khan. The museum’s intricate mirror work, stucco, brickwork, woodwork, and traditional paintings are sure to captivate visitors. Be sure to explore the section featuring ancient artifacts discovered over the centuries.
- Address: Lotf Ali Khan Zand Street
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Shah Cheragh Museum
The Shah Cheragh Museum is located within the Shah Cheragh shrine, one of Shiraz’s main tourist destinations. This museum houses artifacts from both pre-Islamic and Islamic periods, including exquisite Qurans, manuscripts, ancient coins, metal, ceramic, and glass vessels, weapons from different eras, and famous paintings.
- Address: Ahmadi Square, Shah Cheragh Shrine
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Visual Arts Museum
The Visual Arts Museum is housed in the Forough al-Molk mansion, belonging to a prominent woman from the Qajar era known for her influence in art and mysticism. The museum has been renovated and now serves as a space to display the works of Shirazi artists. Visitors can view paintings, photographs, calligraphy, reliefs, and other valuable works of art. This museum is also known as the Meshkinfam Museum, as it was entrusted to Hossein Meshkinfam for showcasing the works of his artistic family.
- Address: Old Shiraz, Ayatollah Dastgheib Boulevard, Sang-e Siah neighborhood, behind Imamzadeh Bibi Dokhtaran
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Celebrities Museum
The Celebrities Museum is located in the Zinat al-Molk House and is one of Shiraz’s well-known tourist attractions. This beautifully designed house belonged to the Qavam family and served as a refuge for many displaced people during the Iran-Iraq war. The museum is often referred to as the Madame Tussauds of Shiraz. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a statue of Zinat al-Molk with open arms.
The museum also contains statues and busts of famous figures from the Achaemenid, Sassanid, Zand, and Qajar periods, as well as from the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Additionally, there are valuable artifacts related to Cyrus, Darius, Hafez, Saadi, Barbad, and Karim Khan Zand.
- Address: Lotf Ali Khan Zand Street
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
House of Music – Manteghi Nejad Museum
The Manteghi Nejad House of Music Museum is a specialized museum dedicated to music enthusiasts. Also known as the Museum of Sounds and Melodies, it is housed in the beautiful Manteghi Nejad House, dating back to the Qajar era. Visitors can explore the listening room, viewing room, audio-visual archive, world music section, teaching area, and a gallery of musical instruments from various regions of Iran. The museum’s audio archive contains 2,000 hours of music that visitors can listen to in equipped cabins.
- Address: Ahmadi Square, behind Masjid-e Now
- Operating Hours: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Daryaye Noor Stone and Gem Museum
The Daryaye Noor Stone and Gem Museum in Shiraz is the second of its kind in Iran, after the one in Tehran. Established in 2011, the museum is located on the ground floor of the Eram Garden in Shiraz. The museum displays 140 types of precious and rare stones. The galleries feature various handcrafted stone items such as jewelry, earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets, which are sure to captivate visitors. The museum also offers demonstrations on how stones are carved.
- Address: Eram Boulevard, Eram Garden
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Haft Tanan Museum (Stone Museum)
The Haft Tanan Museum, also known as the Stone Museum, is situated at the foot of the Chehel Maqam mountain. In the past, seven unknown mystics were buried here, but since their identities were lost, their graves remained unmarked. To honor them, Karim Khan Zand decided to build a structure over their graves. The museum now displays historical stones and ancient inscriptions from the 9th to the 17th centuries. These stones are engraved with Kufic, Naskh, Nastaliq, and Tughra scripts.
- Address: End of Haft Tanan Boulevard
- Operating Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Water Museum (Vakil Cistern)
The Water Museum, located on the eastern side of the Karim Khan Citadel, is a historical water reservoir from the Zand dynasty. Visitors can see models of various water structures from different periods in Iran’s history. The museum also features a windcatcher with brickwork similar to the Karim Khan Tower, adding to the site’s beauty. This cistern is one of the national monuments of Iran.
- Address: Tophane Square, eastern side of Karim Khan Citadel
- Operating Hours: 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
Traditional and Ritual Clothing Museum
The Traditional and Ritual Clothing Museum is housed in the Salehi House, a Qajar-era building with two sections: an interior and an exterior. The house features intricate Islamic tilework, floral designs, and depictions of Qajar kings and soldiers, along with traditional Qajar architectural elements like stucco, wooden ceilings, and decorative woodwork. Since 2005, the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran has used this house as a museum to display the traditional and ritual clothing of Shiraz.
- Address: Historical district, opposite Shah Cheragh, Haft Pech Alley, Salehi House
- See the Location on Google Maps
Museum of Natural History and Technology
Finally, the Museum of Natural History and Technology in Shiraz offers a diverse collection that includes zoology, botany, geology, anthropology, anatomy, technology, and taxidermy exhibits. With over 2,500 specimens of invertebrates and vertebrates, 60 species of medicinal plants, a 70-million-year-old fish fossil, and various minerals, this museum is highly popular among tourists.
- Address: Modarres Boulevard, Azadegan Street
- Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- See the Location on Google Maps
If you’re planning a trip to Shiraz and are interested in staying in a traditional space with modern amenities, consider checking out Iranmehr Boutique Hotel in Shiraz.
BOOK ONLINE
Shiraz Hotels
This comprehensive guide by SURFIRAN will help you explore the best museums in Shiraz, providing a deep dive into the city’s cultural and historical heritage.
Read More
